Nightingale
by The Gentlewoman
Summary: New mini series with new ships. When an acquaintance is missing due to a fever, Bill decides to head over and check it out. The bond between the two grow. Could this be what they think it is? Or is it all just something strange? Welcome to Strange Love. AU Teashipping


**Mel here, and this time, with a new mini series.**  
><strong>These three stories will all be of Pokémon Special ships which I haven't written about so far. In addition to that, they are all AU. The first story is as nice and warm as a freshly poured cup of honey tea...<strong>  
><strong>Welcome to "Strange Love".<strong>  
><strong>I don't own Pokémon.<strong>

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><p><em>Florence Nightingale Syndrome<em>  
><em>A term of questionable usefulness defined as either a situation in which<em>  
><em>(1) a romantic attraction or bond develops between patient and caregiver and is the direct result of the caregiving experience, or<em>  
><em>(2) a person's self image is that of a healer of others' pain<em>

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><p>It was another chilly day in the busy city. The gray clouds engulfed the sky and there wasn't a ray of sunshine to be seen. A lone man on a normal utility bike looked up to the dark and gloomy sky.<br>"Shoot... Looks like rain again..."  
>He continued riding down the street, his hands gripping the worn out grips on his handle bars. The man just wanted to reach his destination and then get back home without getting caught in the rain. After all, it should only take him a few minutes to just drop off a few documents. Racing down the street, riding at a reasonable pace in order to avoid the oncoming traffic and pedestrians, the man felt the chill in the air get colder and colder. He turned the final corner and reached his destination: a small apartment complex placed atop multiple shops and businesses. The man found a safe place to park his bike and attached the lock. He then hurried to find the front entrance to the complex. Somewhat hidden between a used clothing store and a convenience store was the entrance. That was when he arrived at his first obstacle: finding a way inside. The man frowned and slowly rubbed the back right of his head, further messing up his short, brown hair. He sighed and waited by the doors, zipping up his jacket to hide from the cold. Just then, someone opened the doors from the inside, allowing the man to enter. Once passing the first set of doors, he came across an old fashioned foyer. Up ahead and to the left was an old elevator while to the right, an old and worn out staircase was found. He took out his notepad and read the floor and room number of his destination.<br>"The fourth floor, huh? Hmmm..."  
>He then weighed his options, factoring in the fact that he did not want to climb too many flights of stairs, and headed for the old elevator. Pressing the call button, he waited for the lift to come down the lonely shaft. Once it reached the floor, he opened the wooden door and pulled the metal scissor gate aside, allowing entry. Once inside, he looked around the small elevator. The floor was a worn down, deep red carpet with quite a few stains. The walls had slight chips and dents from the many years of use, its old white paint slowly peeling off as well. The man looked at the old panel and pressed the button marked with a four. The lift began to move, rattling and shaking with each floor it climbed. It was then when he noticed a piece of paper taped to the wall on his right. It read, "CAUTION: Ride at own risk. Use of stairs or the newly installed elevator, located further down the hall, are highly recommended. Thank you and have a good day." Reading that notice made the man grow pale. However, he couldn't get off of the lift until it reached the floor. Once it reached the third floor, the lift suddenly jolted to a full stop. The man, shocked by this, quickly opened the scissor gate and door to leave the lift.<br>"Well that was different... Time ta' find the room..."  
>He continued to walk down the old halls. The wooden floor was sanded down and the walls were painted the same old, white as the death-trap elevator. There were short, random halls which led to nothing but dead ends, lonesome windows which would allow you to view nothing but another white wall through thick, translucent glass, and in addition to that, there was an eerie dead silence everywhere he walked. It was then when he reached the end of the hall. Still no room in sight.<br>"What the? I don' get it... It should be the next door over..."  
>There was, however, an old and worn out wooden door with the same translucent glass as the ones in the hallway which formed a small window that stood at face height. The man noticed light shining through, so he opened the door hesitantly. Poking his head through the crack, he saw two more apartment doors and another stairway. He entered the small corridor and looked at both room numbers.<br>"So it's the left door, huh? 'Kay then."  
>The man walked to the door and rang the doorbell. No answer. He rang it again along with three knocks. Still no answer. By this time, he was a little bit irritated. He rang the doorbell two more times until he heard clicks and clanks coming from the door. He stood back immediately and the door opened slowly. There he was met with his fellow teacher's assistant, clad in loose pajamas.<br>"Oh, Bill! What brings you here?" The woman asked with a weak smile and an equally weak and raspy voice.  
>"Why else, Daisy? You didn' come in ta' the office for two days an' your gramps was worried." Bill answered while pulling his backpack off of his shoulders.<br>"Oh sorry! I wasn't able to call in ahead of time..." She then apologized, her voice growing more and more quiet with each word.  
>"Daisy? Are ya' okay?" Bill then asked after looking at her complexion.<br>"Oh me? It's just a cold, I think. I should be all better by tomorrow." Daisy answered with another weak smile.  
>Bill, unsure of her condition, let out a sigh. Daisy just looked at him, eyes full of confusion, as he began to walk forward. He then placed his right hand above her brow, pushing aside her bangs.<br>"Dammit Daisy... You're burnin' up!"  
>"Oh, I am? Well I should probably rest up. Bye then, Bill!"<br>Before Daisy could shut the door, Bill shoved his foot in the gap, keeping it from closing.  
>"Hold on. Ya' don't expect me ta' just leave, do ya'?"<br>"If I said 'yes', would I be right?" She asked with an innocent smile.  
>"Ha ha ha-No. I'm comin' in!" Bill answered while forcing his way in.<br>"Bill! Jeez... I'm fine. It's just a cold..." Daisy said with her voice growing hoarse.  
>"What wazzat? I couldn' hear ya' past the raspy-ness of your voice. Now get in bed." He then said while pointing towards the bed.<br>"Fine then Doc. Whatever ya' say..."  
>"Oh ha ha. Very funny." Bill retorted<br>Daisy staggered from the door and went down the small corridor. She then entered a large studio space and slid into her bed. Bill looked around and entered the large space as well. He glanced around at the setup. The two opposite walls were lined with four windows each, each one placed only a foot or so above ground and stretching up at least six feet or so. Daisy's bed was placed along the same wall which lead to the front door while the other wall connected to the kitchen. Everything was open, save the bathroom and two other doors which were located in the front corridor. Daisy looked at Bill from her bed and motioned him to sit down, patting the open space beside her.  
>"Ya' can't be serious..."<br>Daisy just gave him the same innocent smile as before, prompting another heavy sigh from Bill. He then placed his backpack on the ground and pulled out his laptop. Using a chair nearby the bed, Bill sat next to Daisy, laptop on his lap for easy access.  
>"Ya' know, ya' fail as a pre-med. You obviously have a fever." Bill said while turning on his laptop.<br>Daisy felt discouraged. She knew she had a high fever but she didn't want to trouble anyone. And now Bill was here wasting his precious time to help her get better. The two of them would only say speak in passing or when her grandfather would strike up a conversation between the two. Daisy tugged on Bill's sleeve to get his attention.  
>"I don't need help Bill. You should go home! Don't you have a thesis to work on?" Daisy said, eyes stinging from just being open.<br>Bill looked to Daisy and then back to his laptop screen. He then closed his laptop and left it on the chair where he sat.  
>"I'm borrowin' your kitchen."<br>Daisy sulked in bed as she heard Bill rummaging through her fridge. He then came back with a bag of frozen vegetables and a towel.  
>"Why dontcha' got any ice packs 'round here?" Bill asked while wrapping the towel around the packet.<br>"Well, I normally don't need them..." Daisy answered as loud as she could.  
>Bill walked over to Daisy once again and placed the towel beneath her pillow, making sure to not move her too much.<br>"There. That should cool ya' down. Now for the food..."  
>Bill went back into the kitchen, smart phone in hand. At this point, Daisy felt herself slipping in and out of consciousness.<br>"Hmmm... That's a lotta' recipes... Maybe I'll just do 'em all..."  
>Bill looked through the fridge and noticed a lack of produce to work with, resulting in another disappointed face. He sighed once more and walked back to Daisy.<br>"Hey. Daisy. Lend me your keys. I'm goin' out for a bit."  
>"My keys?" She asked with her eyes still closed.<br>"Well, how else am I gonna get back in? I can't make ya' get up every time, now can I?"  
>Daisy slowly opened her eyed and pointed towards an arm chair across the room. Bill walked towards the chair and spotted a pair of jeans and a shirt lying over the seat and arm rest. Along with them was her bag and her jacket. Unsure as to the actual location of the keys, he turned back to Daisy for another hint. Daisy made a motion while slightly sitting up in bed. She moved her right hand in a downwards motion from her left shoulder to her right hip. She then fell back onto her pillows.<br>"The bag then, huh?"  
>Bill picked up the brown messenger bag, opened the flap and unzipped the main pouch. Lying at the bottom was Daisy's apartment keys.<br>"Got 'em! I'll be back soon Daisy. Here, I'll leave some water for ya' to drink."  
>Bill returned to Daisy's side and left a bottle of chilled water on her night stand.<br>"It's all I've got on-hand, but I'll get you some more when I get back."  
>Daisy looked up to Bill and gave him another smile.<br>"Thank you, Bill."  
>Bill felt his hand move towards Daisy's head but immediately stopped. He returned his hand to his side and rushed out the door.<br>What are ya' doin', Bill? Ya' hardly know 'er... Just help 'er get better, then go home.  
>Bill sulked and locked the front door. His eyes shifted to the right and saw the staircase. Curious as to where they lead, as well as reluctant to take the elevator another time, he thought of where the stairs would lead him. It was then when he heard a strange noise coming from the stairwell. A noise that frightened the ever-loving daylights out of him.<br>This place is already creepy enough! Ya' don' have ta' make it even scarier!  
>Bill then turned around and went through the old, wooden door once again. Walking down the long hallway, he took a sharp left then reached the old elevator once more. Bill walked past the old lift and took one more left turn, finding the newer elevator mentioned in the notice.<p>

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><p>Daisy tossed and turned in bed, trying her best to stay awake. She wasn't sure whether or not to fall asleep. She knew that Bill was a man of his word, but she never pictured him showing up at her apartment to practically nurse her back to health. She slowly sat up and grabbed the water bottle Bill had left out for her. Popping open the top, she slowly drank the water. Daisy then re-capped the bottle and returned it to its original spot. Daisy soon drifted off to sleep, being unable to keep her eyes open. Soon after, the rolling of metal and the thumps of footsteps woke her up. Her eyes slowly opened and looked towards the corridor. Bill was going straight to the kitchen with many plastic bags on hand. After sorting through the bags, he returned to Daisy's side. He replaced the bag of frozen veggies with a proper ice pack, still trying his best to hardly move Daisy assuming she was still asleep.<br>'Kay then. Time ta' cook.  
>Bill went into the kitchen and rummaged through the bags once again. He pulled out the chicken breasts which were tightly packed and sealed along with an onion, a few carrots and a couple of celery stalks. Bill moved the ingredients to the counter, right next to the sink, and searched the cabinets for salt and pepper.<br>"This should be good enough I guess..." Bill whispered under his breath as he looked at the almost empty shakers.  
>Bill worked with what else he had found in the kitchen and began boiling water. After carefully following the instructions found online, he had properly produced a stock pot full of chicken soup. He wasn't too sure if Daisy would be able chew and swallow the chicken chunks, so he only filled her bowl with broth and a few vegetables. As Bill brought the bowl back to the bed, he noticed Daisy sleeping soundly once again. Not wanting to disturb her sleep, Bill left the soup on the side table. He grabbed his laptop once again and took a seat across the room, by the old arm chair.<p>

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><p>After a few hours, Daisy awoke to a dark apartment. She slowly sat up and turned on her lamp. It was then when she found the soup, hardly any more heat being emitted from the bowl. She then looked around the small space to find Bill in the corner, typing the day away. Daisy grew a soft smile as she watched him work. Bill then looked up, just barely noticing the light from the lamp, and made eye contact with the still drowsy Daisy.<br>"Ah, you're awake, I see." He announced while saving his work.  
>Bill then walked back over to the bed. He then grabbed a digital thermometer from the side table.<br>"Where did that come from?" Daisy asked in a weak voice.  
>"I bought it. I've been checking your temperature 'evry hour or so. So let's see..."<br>Bill held the thermometer to Daisy's temple, holding her bangs back with the other hand. After a few beeps, he checked the reading.  
>"Well look at that. It went down a bit. Here, lemme get ya' some more water."<br>As Bill took the bottle back unto the kitchen, Daisy looked at the now cold soup beside her. She picked up the bowl and ate a spoonful.  
>It's good...<br>"Huh? Are ya' eatin' that cold? Lemme warm it up first..."  
>"It's fine, Bill. It tastes great." Daisy responded with a bright smile.<br>Bill, caught off guard, blushed a small hit and returned to refilling the bottle. Daisy finished the soup and placed the bowl back on the table. Bill returned by her side and handed her the bottle. Without saying a word, Daisy took the bottle and Bill brought the bowl to the kitchen to wash. He first boiled some water on the stove in an old kettle he had found in one of the cupboards. Bill then began rummaging through the freezer. Daisy, curious as to what he was doing, just sat back and waited for Bill to return by her side. When he did, he was holding a popsicle to her face.  
>"Eh? I never bought popsicles..."<br>"Ya' didn't. I made 'em."  
>"You? But how?" Daisy asked, amazed and flabbergasted.<br>"You were sleeping for a while. Sides, it was easy 'nough..." Bill responded shyly, "I just made 'em from normal juice anyhow. Take it before it melts..."  
>"Th-thank you..."<br>Daisy took the popsicle and slowly began to lick it. It was a combination of cranberries and a little bit of lemon. It tasted different, yet still good nonetheless. Bill then took a seat beside Daisy once more.  
>"Hey, how'd ya' get sick in the first place?"<br>"Huh? Oh, um, probably just overworking I guess." Daisy responded weakly.  
>Bill crossed his arms and looked Daisy in the eyes.<br>"Ya' really gotta know when ta' rest, Daisy. Living alone can be dangerous. What if this happens again? Who'll take care of ya'?!" Bill asked in a concerned tone.  
>Daisy was silent. She looked away from Bill for a second, then met his eyes once more.<br>"Could I, maybe , depend on you then?"  
>Bill was at a loss for words. He and Daisy both grew red the longer the silence grew. Just then, the kettle let out a loud whistle, breaking the silence immediately. Bill then used the chance and stormed into the kitchen once more.<br>Oh my gosh... What did I just say...  
>While waiting, Daisy finished the popsicle. She then placed the stick which it was on on top od a clean tissue on the side table. When Bill returned, he had a tea cup in hand. He placed it on the side table as well, atop a coaster. He then took the stick back to the kitchen.<br>"Tea?"  
>"It's honey-lemon tea. Drink up whenever ya' want to."<br>Bill walked back towards his laptop and went back to work. Daisy took the cup and sipped a small bit of the tea. Although it was still very hot, it warned her up nicely.  
>"It's really good, Bill... Thank you."<br>Bill stayed silent. He continued typing through the silence. Daisy, a bit disheartened by his lack of response, continued drinking the tea. Once she finished the whole cup, she let out a sigh.  
>"You need to show me how to make this tea. That way I could make myself son if I get sick again..."<br>Bill still stayed silent. He then looked up from his laptop screen, locking eyes with Daisy once again.  
>"No need. I'll make it for ya' whenever ya' want."<br>Bill, embarrassed by his own words, went back to work. Daisy laughed as loud as she could.  
>"I'll be waiting then."<p>

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><p><strong>Pretty short, huh? But hey, it was my first Teashipping fic.<strong>  
><strong>If you're wondering about Bill's accent, in the original Japanese translation, he had an Osakan accent which was much different than the accents everyone else in the Kanto region had. I settled for a slurring and shortening of words for him since I can't write in a western accent for the life of me.<strong>  
><strong>Anyway, fun fact: I based the setting on an apartment complex nestled in the center of Berkeley, California. I guess that would mean they both attend UC Berkeley then, huh? ^^"<strong>


End file.
